


The Price of Defeat

by sailorgreywolf



Series: Historical Hetalia Week 2020 [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, Historical Hetalia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23631223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorgreywolf/pseuds/sailorgreywolf
Summary: At the Congress of Vienna, Saxony listens as the victorious powers discuss what to do with him. He waits while his fate is decided, and hears the unexpected price of his part in the war.
Series: Historical Hetalia Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1701136
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	The Price of Defeat

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [【授翻】失败的代价](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432226) by [dort](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dort/pseuds/dort)



Saxony was sitting outside of the door, listening intently. The door was thick, but if he strained, he could hear the words through it. He kept himself as silent as he could so that he could make out the conversation.

They were discussing him, and his future. It was the four victors from the war, taking their time to divide up Europe like a succulent goose. He thought they were greedy, every single one of them. They thought that winning meant they could take what they wanted from the rest. 

Prussia’s voice was the easiest to make out, sharp and shrill as it was. He was yelling in the way that only a man who was used to making himself heard over the cacophony of battle could. “He is a traitor! He chose Napoleon when the liberation of our land was at stake!” 

Saxony felt the weight in his chest. He had chosen to take his chance with France for himself and the sake of Poland. For all of the little emperor’s pretension, he had forced Prussia to retreat, and for a time he had returned Poland to the map.

Was Saxony such a terrible man for wanting the restitution of the man he had once shared a crown union with? Or to celebrate when his worst enemy suffered a humiliating defeat at France’s hands? It was natural, he though.

He heard malice in Prussia’s voice, even through a thick wooden door. But, that tone was not new to him either. Austria’s voice responded, just as loud, but more melodious, “We agree that he took the wrong side, but he doesn’t deserve to die for it! We can punish him, but I will not allow you to be his executioner!”

There was the sound of a fist hitting a table. He assumed that was Prussia’s doing. The man did have a nasty temper. Surely enough, that was who spoke next, “Why are you protecting him? He fought us until the very end! He is the only one who chose his own petty vengeance over his family!” 

Saxony could hear the fury. The same one that he had seen when Prussia had pulled him from his horse at Leipzig. He had never had a chance to truly fight back. Prussia had always been stronger than him, and he had been exhausted from fighting from Moscow all the way back to the German states. France had asked so much of him, and it had left him too tired to resist Prussia. He had seen death in those unnatural eyes then, fury like he had never thought Prussia capable of. 

There was a long silence, and Saxony wondered why nothing was being said. He strained his ears to hear if the conversation had gotten quieter. 

Just as he did, Austria yelled, “You stay out of this! He is our cousin, and this is a family matter!” It must have been in response to either England or Russia, and he could guess which from the quiet. Only one of them never seemed to raise his voice. 

Prussia came back, in the same searing tone, “Family means nothing to him. He made that very clear with his choices!” 

_Family._

What a strange concept, Saxony thought, for a group of people who had fought each other for centuries. How strange it was to hear Austria and Prussia speak like they had ever treated each other as anything but adversaries. Listening to them now, one might think that they cared that they shared some blood. 

But, Germans had waged brutal war against each other before. Why was it such an affront now that Saxony had chosen strategy over blood? 

He didn’t understand why it was upsetting Prussia so terribly. He had wanted Saxony’s destruction since his king had marched on Dresden the first time. That king, the one Napoleon had said was so brilliant. But, this was different from Prussia’s usual vitriol. It was stronger and even more venomous. 

Had his humiliation been so difficult for him to stomach that he needed someone to hurt for it? Such a noble knight. 

Austria spoke again, but his tone had softened, “Gilbert, I know you are grieving Maximilian. I am too. This war took him from us. But killing someone else is not going to bring back your brother.”

A cold bolt went down Saxony’s spine. He had not known that the Holy Roman Empire was dead. He had thought naively, that if Poland could survive being dissolved, then the Holy Roman Empire could survive it too.

But, if what they were saying was true, then the dissolution at France’s hands had been lethal. Saxony had never been close to the little empire, and they had fought over Luther an eternity ago. But, he remembered the boy with the blue eyes and the cherub cheeks. 

He felt his eyes start to water. No matter what fights they had before, he never would have wanted the boy dead. Prussia’s reaction suddenly made a kind of agonizing sense. Saxony had taken the side of a murderer and not even known it. He had completely ignorant to the whole deadly business. 

It was a mistake. Just a mistake.

It was a mistake born of his own naive assumptions and grudges. 

Prussia responded, his voice less angry now, “Don’t tell me how I feel. He wasn’t your brother.” 

There was another silence, but this one was shorter. Austria spoke again, “Isn’t it enough that we lost Max? Do you have to kill another? It will not solve anything.”

Saxony felt himself holding his breath waiting for a response. The answer would determine what would happen to him next. If Prussia had his way, this may be his last day on Earth. 

As the seconds ticked by, he heard his own heart pounding in his ears. His life hung on the next word out of Prussia’s mouth. Then, it came, “Fine. Keep him alive, but I want land. I want to be compensated for all that I have lost.” 

There was the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Then Prussia pushed it open, and emerged, an ugly red flush in his cheeks. He turned his gaze to Saxony, who had hoped for a moment not to be noticed. 

Prussia said, “You live another day. But, I promise you, one day I will destroy you.”


End file.
